Brownie Chunk Cheesecake

25.1.11

Or its more appropriate title, How My First Cheesecake Didn’t Completely Suck.

That’s right, my first cheesecake. Never made one before, ever. I’ve eaten some cheesecake, but not a lot. A bite of cheesecake is usually plenty for me. It’s super rich and the cheesy flavor is so strong, that it just about does me in. That’s why I’ve been a huge fan of The Cheesecake Factory— there you can get cheesecakes that have so much going on that they can hardly even be called cheesecakes. That’s my kind of cheesecake.

But I figured it was time to make one for myself. To first of all, figure out how it was done. And secondly because I desperately want to love it. Thirdly, I needed to just get over it already. So I did my homework, picked a recipe from a trusted source, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

If ever I was going to succeed in baking and loving a cheesecake, it was going to be this cheesecake studded with chunks of chewy brownie, topped with chocolate ganache, all held together by a chocolate graham cracker crust.

So what did I learn from my first cheesecake experience?

One, chocolate ganache covers up all manner of cheesecake sins like cracks and spots that browned too quickly, which is great for a beginner like me.

Two, apparently you are not supposed to put the crust up the entire sides of the pan. If you do, your cheesecake may look slightly silly.

Three, completely chilling the cheesecake before serving is a must, unless you want cheesecake soup.

And four, even with all of my mistakes and shortcomings, this cheesecake was still pretty damn good. And I’m actually really sad that it’s no longer in my fridge for me to slowly sliver away. I really think I should give cheesecake more of a chance, that I’ve brushed it off for too long. And I think I’m going to have to bake another one real soon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×19-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the sides. Grease the foil.

Microwave chocolate and cutter in a large microwaveable bowl on high for two minutes. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Stir in sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and salt, mix until combined. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan with foil handles. When cooled completely, cut into 1 inch squares.

Beat cream cheese in stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each. Add vanilla and sugar and mix until combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Fold the brownie chunks into the cheesecake mixture very carefully. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place springform pan on a baking pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.

Yum yum YUM!!!! Putting brownies and cheesecake in one dessert is genius. I'm glad your first cheesecake experience went better than mine…I didn't completely understand the concept of a spring form pan and when I went to pick it up it fell out of my hands and spilled cheesecake batter all over my kitchen rug….such a disappointment!

Triple chocolate cheesecake, oh my, where's my fork? This sounds like the perfect dessert to indulge in and satisfy a chocolate craving. I have a linky party on my blog every Saturday called "Sweets for a Saturday" and I'd like to invite you to stop by this weekend and link this up. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com

Je salive ! I am not really a big fan of cheesecake either (I grew up mostly in France and so not really in my cultural background) but this one looks fabulous and I am about to try it. Your blog is real delight. I have already made a few of your fabulous recipes. We all love them here in Sydney (my son Jules and daughter Lili likes you).

oh my goodness, this looks divine! so glad to have found you through bernideen's tea time blog. now following and hope you stop by someday too for other recipes on my blog. i can't beat your photography; it's beautiful!

This looks SO good…I’m only a beginner at cakes but I just can’t resist making this cake!! I’ve only made ONE cake in my life and it was a half-fail-success. Well I’m gonna give it a try Friday and see how it works out <3

Wait, the crust is one of my favorite parts of a cheesecake. If you put the crust up the side, it doesn’t look silly, but has a more equal ratio of crust and cheesecake! (Or am I the only person that thinks that?)

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